Battle heating up at the top

Week eight concluded with two teams on red hot streaks, and another struggling for form. A young forward potted his first KHL hat-trick, and an established star returned to action with his first of the season. Read on for all the highlights.

Severstal on top

The Western Conference has an unexpected leader. Severstal’s 4-1 win over Shanghai Dragons on Sunday put Andrei Kozyrev’s team top of the pile. The Cherepovets club has won its last seven to draw level on points with defending champion Lokomotiv and this season’s fast starter, Torpedo. But Severstal has won more games in regulation, giving it the lead at this stage.

The Lynx progress rests on a solid defense. Goalie Alexander Samonov is one of three men with three shut-outs this season and places sixth for GAA at 2.07. With +16, Yanni Kaldis has the best plus/minus in the KHL. He’s also on a four-game streak worth 5 (2+3) points. Ivan Kvochko, 21, is also on a four-game productive run.

Oktoberfest in Kazan

Ak Bars is on an even longer winning streak. The Kazan team has won nine from nine this month, climbing to second in the Eastern Conference. After an uncertain start, Anvar Gatiyatulin’s men are looking like genuine contenders for honors this term.

Sochi struggles

At the other end of the scale, Sunday brought an eighth straight loss for Sochi, going down 3-5 at Spartak. Veteran head coach Vladimir Krikunov admitted that he could not remember one of his teams losing so many games before. “Even one [loss] brings pressure,” he said. “And when you get on a run like this, it’s hard.”

Korotky claims first hat-trick

SKA was a big beneficiary of Sochi’s slump. The Petersburg club has problems of its own, but an 8-1 thrashing of the Leopards lifted the mood. Forward Matvei Korotky, 19, won’t forget this game in a hurry – he claimed his first KHL hat-trick. SKA also managed the rare distinction of scoring two goals on the same penalty kill on a night when nothing went right for the visitor. 

Golyshev returns

Avtomobilist’s talismanic forward Anatoly Golyshev returned to action after serving a doping ban. The 30-year-old featured in Thursday’s home win over Traktor, playing nine minutes on the fourth line. Then, on Sunday, he got his first points of the campaign with a goal and an assist at Torpedo. However, in that game he finished on the wrong end of a 4-7 scoreline.

Spartak, Shanghai, share 12 goals

The high-scoring games keep coming. Spartak’s home game with Shanghai Dragons finished in a 6-6 tie before Luke Lockhart, record appearance-maker for the Dragons’ previous incarnation, grabbed a shoot-out winner. Spartak led 3-1 midway through the game, but then allowed five unanswered goals as the Dragons took flight. However, two goals in 55 seconds completed a fightback to force the extras in a breathless battle in the capital. It was the 12th time Spartak recovered a three-goal margin to win.

Sprong scores something special

Great players often look like they are the only ones on the ice. CSKA’s Daniel Sprong took that literally with a freakish goal against Dinamo Minsk on Monday. After a shot on the Minsk net was deflected into the air, everyone in the arena lost track of the puck. Except for the Dutchman. While players and officials looked around in confusion, he spotted it in the left-hand circle and took the chance to skate through a statuesque defense to score.

Recruitment in Ufa

Salavat Yulaev, currently at the foot of the Eastern Conference, is rebuilding its offense. Last week saw Devin Brosseau arrive after he was traded from Dynamo Moscow. The 30-year-old Canadian renews acquaintance with Jack Rodewald, who played with him at Kunlun Red Star for two seasons. Brosseau had 5 (4+1) points in 12 games for Dynamo and started life at Salavat with three assists in his first three appearances.

But there were more to come, with Sheldon Rempal agreeing a returning to Bashkortostan. After a great season on Viktor Kozlov’s team last year (61 points in 68 regular season games, then 21 in 19 post season), Rempal was offered an NHL chance with the Capitals. However, after being assigned to Hershey Bears, he opted to return to Russia as the spearhead of Salavat Yulaev’s hoped-for revival.

Josephs leaves Sochi

Troy Josephs has ended his time at HC Sochi after just 10 games for the Leopards. The Canadian, 31, managed just two assists in that time. Previously Josephs fired Lada to the playoffs in 2024 with 29 points in 53 games. Last season he moved from Togliatti to Magnitogorsk and again made the playoffs. In total he has 56 (30+26) points from 124 games.

Tkachyov leads scoring race

Vladimir Tkachyov moved out in front in this year’s KHL scoring race. Last week he was one of five players tied on 20 points, now the Metallurg forward is clear on 23 (2+21). One of those points came on the game-winning goal in the Tkachyov derby against his namesake’s Sibir team; Metallurg won 2-1 in OT. Team-mate Dmitry Silantyev is one back, while Dinamo Minsk’s Sam Anas joins Josh Leivo (Traktor) and Konstantin Okulov (Avangard) on 21 points.